How to Use Social Media to Drive Traffic to Your Trade Show Booth
Smartphones are everywhere, and it seems like nearly everyone is engaged in some form of social media. It’s no wonder people feel that way. The statistics back it up: the Pew Research Center reports that among adults in the United States, 81% own a smartphone, and 7 in 10 use social media. With these numbers in mind, it should be a no brainer to use social media to help drive traffic to your booth and increase your return on investment of exhibiting at the trade show.
Make a Plan!
While you can certainly post social media posts on the fly, it is more advantageous to create a plan and follow it. Not only will you be able to avoid the “got too busy and forgot to post” moments, but you will ensure that you’re hitting your target audience at a regular interval. Many social media applications afford you the opportunity to schedule your posts in advance, as well! By creating a plan, you can easily make a nice variety of posts that will garner interest and excitement over your trade show booth!
Before The Show Social Media Outreach
Social media is an excellent way to kick-start a buzz about your booth! Sharing pictures and videos as you build your booth will get people interested in what the final look will be. Generate interest and curiosity with teaser posts, which will lead people to seek out your booth at the show. Additionally, you can also establish a hashtag for your booth and begin using the show’s hashtag to gain more reach. While hashtags are mostly specific to Twitter and Instagram, you can certainly use them across your brand’s subscribed outlets.
Paid Social Media Advertising
One of the benefits of using social media to drive traffic to your trade show booth is that it’s free! However, there is also the option of paid advertising, which is a nominal cost, to generate more traffic to your online social media accounts, and thus your booth at the show. You can pay to boost posts on Facebook, create ads online, and more — and the benefit of paid advertising is you can target your ads to reach your preferred target audience.
Show-Time Social Media Exposure
Once the show finally opens, it’s a great opportunity to do live video updates, helpful posts, interviews and more! Brief interviews are also a way to communicate your company’s value statement while enticing people to stop by your trade show booth. Share a map so attendees can easily find your booth at the trade show!
Social Media Contests
You can also inspire interest and drive traffic to your booth by having a social media contest. Whether you design it to center around check-ins, shares, pictures, or something else, like a trade show treasure hunt, social media contests are an excellent way to spice up the show and drive traffic to your booth.
Use Social Media to Increase Booth Traffic
Social media is an excellent resource that marketers can use to generate traffic to their trade show booth. Not only is this tactic beneficial for driving traffic to the booth, but it certainly can play well with an overall marketing plan. Using social media apps like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat, you can ensure your trade show booth is the talk of the show, both in-person and online.
Christian has over five years of professional event marketing experience. He has handled everything from on-site labor supervision to managing exhibit design projects in-house. He also enjoys rock climbing and any other outdoor activities. He is a critical thinker who is constantly challenging the status quo.